


The Squire

by snowblowingoverafieldofdeath



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Gen, M/M, Pre-Slash, Prompt Fill
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-06
Updated: 2013-03-06
Packaged: 2017-12-04 10:37:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,548
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/709821
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/snowblowingoverafieldofdeath/pseuds/snowblowingoverafieldofdeath
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Fill for the asoiaf kink meme prompt: "During the trip to the North, Robert attempts to force Jaime to pick a squire from a non-Lannister, trustworthy family. He gives Jaime a “choice” as to whom. The adult Starks & Robert try to get him to choose Robb; Jaime being Jaime picks Jon. </p>
<p>Jon is pretty and this obviously annoys Catelyn (Oh no! The Bastard gets an honor!), Robert (because Jaime picked the one he wouldn’t have chosen), & Ned (who hates Jaime on principle). Jon doesn’t mind this at all."</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Squire

Jaime Lannister wasn’t entirely sure how this happened. One moment he was doing his duty of guarding King Robert. The next, he was out in the training yard watching two boys sparring, and he was being asked to choose a squire. He knew who the boys were, of course. The taller, broader one with the clear Tully features of red hair, blue eyes, and fair skin was Robb Stark, Lord Eddard Stark’s eldest son and heir, Robb Stark. The other one, the slender one with the dark Stark features, was Lord Eddard’s bastard son, Jon Snow. 

What Jaime didn’t know was why exactly he was being asked to choose a squire.

\-----

“Absolutely not! I will not allow my son to squire for a Lannister!”

“Cat-“

“No! Why must it be Robb? Why not any other young man that you are able to trust?!”

“Robb is my eldest, Your Grace, and the heir to Winterfell. Why must it be him?”

“Because there is no one else that I trust! You are my best friend, Ned! We were meant to be brothers! There is no one I trust more than you! If your son were to be the Kingslayer’s squire, there would be someone I could trust within the Lannister camp! Other men can be easily swayed by the Lannisters’ wealth! And think about what an honour it would be for your son; being trained by one of the best known swordsmen in the realm! Men fight for that honour!”

“. . . Robert has a point, Ned. It would be a great honour for Robb, as well as advantageous for there to be at least one trustworthy man within the Lannister folds.”

“It will be Robb’s decision. If he agrees to it, then so be it.”

\-----

Jaime could guess why the King would wish for him to choose a squire. He was even certain that he knew which one of the two boys they wanted him to choose. He also knew that his Lord father, if Tywin Lannister were here to pass judgement, would want him to make that same choice.

Robb Stark was by no means a bad swordsman. In fact, Jaime observed that the boy was rather good. He would make a good squire and, in time, a good knight. But Jaime also observed that the bastard boy was just as good as the trueborn. But the bastard was quicker, more graceful, and fighting with an anger brewing just below the surface that was palpable even across the yard.

The bastard boy was holding back.

Jaime smirked slightly. He may not know exactly why they wanted him to choose a squire, but he could guess; he also knew which they would expect him to choose.

They didn’t know Jaime very well.

\-----

“Mother and Father said that I must win this fight.”

“Why?”

“To prove my abilities to Ser Jaime Lannister. He’s to choose me to be his squire.”

“If I were to let you win, then it wouldn’t be proving yourself properly, now would it?”

“Come on, Jon! Father said that this will be a great honour for me! Can you imagine what it would be like? I would get to travel all around the Seven Kingdoms, and get to learn from one of the best swordsmen! Please, Jon. Do this for me?”

\-----

The battle ended when the bastard was bodily pushed to the ground and disarmed. Jaime could see the humiliation and anger at the defeat written clearly on the bastard’s face across the yard; he could also see the surprise and shock written clearly on Robb Stark’s face. Either the push hadn’t been so hard as to knock the other boy over, or that particular move had never worked before.

The watching men and women were blind though, cheering a win that so obviously wasn’t deserved. But yet there was pride on the faces of the Lord and Lady Stark. They, as well as the King, obviously thought he had no choice but to choose the trueborn son.

Jaime strode out into the yard and smirked at the young Stark boy. “Congratulations on your win,” he said, his tone sounding sincere enough. “It was an . . . interesting fight.”

The excitement and anticipation that lit up on the young Stark’s face told Jaime that the boy had been warned in advance. He, too, was expecting to be chosen. How very presumptuous of all of them. Jaime had been planning to do this in private (planning since he had started watching the battle, at any rate), but he felt the need to teach these arrogant people a lesson.

He turned to the bastard boy, who was still sitting on the ground radiating shame and anger, and offered his hand.

The boy looked surprised and hesitantly took the offered hand, allowing the knight to pull him to his feet.

“You fought well,” Jaime told the bastard, his smirk widening ever so slightly. “You can fight better though. Next time, do not let him win.” The knight could have laughed to see both of the boys’ faces drain of color, their little charade exposed. He glanced between them discreetly, as though sizing them up. On closer inspection, he couldn’t help but to notice how pretty the bastard boy was, despite the Stark look; he must have gotten it from his mother.

Jaime shot a quick glance at the expectant adults, barely able to contain the smug smirk; he loved nothing more than messing up the enemies plans. Then, feigning ignorance, he turned back to the bastard and, in a voice loud enough to carry across the yard, asked, “What’s your name, boy?”

Both of the boys looked surprised once more as the bastard answered lowly, “Jon Snow, Ser.”

“Snow, hm?” Jaime grinned lazily as the anger and shame returned to the bastard’s face. The boy opened his mouth as though to defend himself, or possibly his father, but Jaime continued to speak in the same casually loud tone. “Well, Jon Snow, how would you like to be my squire?”

\-----

“How dare that man choose that bastard over Robb! This is outrageous! Yet another thing that boy has stolen from my son!”

“Cat—“

“How could you have let this happen?!”

“Cat—“ 

“Now your son is being passed over for a bastard!”

“They are both my sons, Cat—“

“It doesn’t matter which son Lannister chose! What matters is can your bastard be trusted, Ned? Can I trust him with the same task as I was going to trust to Robb?”

“Of—“

“Of course not! He’s a bastard! A bastard cannot be trusted! The greedy creature would easily be bought by Lannister’s gold—“

“Enough! I don’t like this; I didn’t like it when it was supposed to be Robb and I don’t like it now with Jon. I don’t like the idea of Jaime Lannister having any sort of influence on any member of my family. But what’s done is done. You can trust Jon, Your Grace. You have my word.”

“You’ll regret those words, Ned, when your bastard becomes a Lannister man.”

\------

“Why did you choose me?”

Jaime smirked slightly and turned to the bastard, who was standing in the entrance of his chambers. “”Does it matter? You were chosen for an honour, Snow. I suggest you not look a gift horse in the mouth.”

“Everyone expected you to choose Robb.” Jon took a hesitant step into the room, looking nervous.

“I know. It was obvious.”

“Wouldn’t it have been easier to just do what they wanted?”

Jaime laughed and turned back to his packing. “It may have been easier on them, but not for me. Your half-brother was good, I’ll give him that. But you were just as good if not better; I couldn’t really judge because you were holding back. You’re quicker, which can be better on the battle field. Besides, he is the heir of Winterfell, so he does not need to be a knight. And finally, you’re prettier.”

“Prettier?!” The bastard spluttered indignantly behind him, almost causing Jaime to laugh out loud. “You chose me because I’m better looking than Robb?!”

“I believe the word I used was prettier.” Jaime turned to face the boy, crossing his arms as he smirked. “Robb got all the best Tully features, and is really quite handsome. But you, despite your Stark features, you have an unknown grace and softness in your features that must come from your mother. Like those lips; you have by far the prettiest lips I’ve ever seen.”

Jon was blushing deeply by this time, fidgeting awkwardly as though he didn’t know whether or not he should try to flee.

“But no, I did not chose you because you’re prettier,” Jaime continued, ignoring the panicked look on the boy’s face. “I chose you because you are a good swordsman and because everyone else wanted me to choose your half-brother. You being pretty was just an added bonus.”

The boy was flushing even more deeply by this time, though inexplicably there was a small, pleased smile on his face.

Jaime’s smirk widened as he threw his breastplate to the bastard, who fumbled slightly to catch it. “Now stop acting like you don’t deserve this and help me put my armour on. You still have a lot to learn about being a knight.”


End file.
